CLAIMS that the NHS will be safer under separation were dismissed last night after the Sunday Express uncovered shocking failings in Scotland’s worst health board.

The catalogue of mistakes and complaints were found even in Alex Neil's own constituency[PA]

A catalogue of mistakes and complaints – some resulting in avoidable fatalities – were identified in three hospitals in Lanarkshire, including one in Health Secretary Alex Neil’s own constituency.

Our special investigation found that the number of “adverse events” in accident and emergency departments was almost five-times greater than in Glasgow, which recorded the second highest number.

And, in the past year, NHS Lanarkshire has received 98 complaints relating to the A&E departments at Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride, Monklands in Airdrie and Wishaw General.

They include cases where patients have died suddenly after being discharged and left alone in agony following potentially catastrophic misdiagnoses.

In addition, a recent report by Health Improvement Scotland found that, over 18 months, 50 patients died in 237 adverse incidents across all NHS Lanarkshire departments.

The findings will send shockwaves through the independence campaign, which claims the NHS – entirely devolved to Holyrood – can only be saved from “Westminster cuts” by a Yes vote.

Last night, opposition politicians called on the Health Secretary to stop “obsessing” over independence and “get back to his day job”.

It comes just eight months after this newspaper revealed that Monklands – in Mr Neil’s Airdrie and Shotts constituency – was Scotland’s worst hospital with above-average death rates. In the 12 months to June, NHS Lanarkshire logged 37 “unexpected or avoidable” incidents in A&E which “could have had significant or catastrophic impact on the patient”.

It compares to eight incidents within Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals, six in Lothian and six in Fife.

NHS Lanarkshire refused to provide further details but said all were related to “where patients experienced delays in A&E while waiting for beds to become available”.

There were 35 adverse incidents at Hairmyres, with two at Wishaw General. Only Greater Glasgow and Clyde recorded more complaints, with 165.

At Hairmyres, the dossier included a case where a patient was twice sent home from A&E before being rushed in after rupturing a main artery.

The hospital was accused of leaving a heart attack patient “isolated” and alone in a room for two hours, and sending another home after diagnosing constipation when, in fact, they were suffering from a burst appendix.

In another astonishing case, an MSP reported the disturbing moment a devastated woman walked into a room to find her friend dead.

At Monklands, the distressed mother of a deceased patient complained that her child was discharged prior to their sudden death at home. Other complaints related to inappropriate treatment, misdiagnoses, staff attitude, communication and waiting times.

With by far the highest number of incidents taking place in his own backyard, Alex Neil needs to stop obsessing about the referendum and get back to his day job

Neil Findlay, Scottish Labour’s health spokesman

And at Wishaw General, a doctor wrongly discharged a patient after reviewing the wrong blood results. One member of staff at Hairmyres last night described the “chaos” in Lanarkshire’s casualty wards. The insider said: “Staff are regularly expected to get taxis to be ferried to other hospitals to bail out overstretched wards.”

Scottish Tory health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said: “Alex Neil is forever saying how much better a separate Scotland’s NHS would be. On this evidence, he’s struggling to get things right just on his own patch.

“This poor performance also puts into context the ludicrous scaremongering from the SNP on the fate of the NHS in the event of a No vote.”

Neil Findlay, Scottish Labour’s health spokesman, said: “These figures are particularly concerning as they relate to incidents resulting in harm to patients which are largely avoidable.

“With by far the highest number of incidents taking place in his own backyard, Alex Neil needs to stop obsessing about the referendum and get back to his day job.”

Mr Neil this year narrowly avoided a vote of no confidence over the scrapping of plans to cut beds at the hospital.

It came just months after it emerged that Monklands had recorded 538 “excess deaths” – in other words, fatalities higher than the predicted mortality rate – in seven years.

Meanwhile, figures this year revealed that patients were waiting as long as 21 hours to be seen in A&E. A spokeswoman for NHS Lanarkshire said it expects an increase in the number of adverse events as it moves towards a “more open culture” of reporting.

She added: “All three hospitals within Lanarkshire have experienced an increase in attendances at the A&E departments and there has been a significant increase in the number of patients who require emergency admission at Hairmyres Hospital.

“We would like to reassure patients that these incidences are still extremely rare and they can be confident they will receive safe, high-quality care when attending our emergency departments.”